‘Compromises may need to be made’ as Bellingham weigh choices with Lakeway traffic
If you’re among the thousands of people who take Lakeway Drive past Interstate 5 every day, now’s the time to let decision-makers know what you think about one of the most congested areas of the city.
Hate the traffic? Want more bike lanes? Need your bus to arrive on time?
Officials from Bellingham, Whatcom County and the state of Washington are collaborating on a study that examines how people travel along the I-5 stretch from Samish Way to Iowa Street and through surrounding neighborhoods and city streets.
But the study’s focus is the busy intersection of Lincoln Street and Lakeway Drive — with its four corners that are home to shopping centers and an elementary school.
“We are encouraging everyone to participate in the public process and share what they think directly with the city,” said Joseph Hayes, president of the Sehome Neighborhood Association, one of four neighborhoods in the Lincoln-Lakeway study area.
In addition to completing an online survey, participants can use an interactive online tool at the city’s Engage Bellingham website to tell government officials what they think and highlight areas of concern.
Neither the Sehome nor Samish neighborhood associations have taken an official stand because the survey is ongoing and no decisions have been made, their presidents told The Bellingham Herald by email.
The Lincoln-Lakeway intersection is one block east of I-5 and features shopping centers with Fred Meyer and Whole Foods, along with a Sheraton hotel and a smaller motel.
It’s just west of the Civic Athletic Complex, which has an indoor pool, a baseball stadium, an ice-skating and soccer arena, and a football stadium with a track.
There’s a new YMCA gym being considered nearby, and there is a 200-unit mobile home park of mostly elderly residents and several apartments designed for Western Washington University students.
And, Lakeway is a major commuter route for Bellingham’s western neighborhoods and the suburban communities of Geneva and Sudden Valley.
In addition, there are freeway on- and off-ramps just west of the intersection.
Agencies involved include the city of Bellingham, the state Department of Transportation or WSDOT, the Whatcom Council of Governments, and the Whatcom Transportation Authority, which provides bus and paratransit services, and a consulting firm called TranspoGroup.
They’re sharing the cost of the study, which totals about $165,000, and Bellingham is contributing the largest part with $100,000.
Looking to 2040
Agencies supporting the study want to know what developments are planned, how land is being used, how traffic flows across four Bellingham neighborhoods and how people get around in the often-congested Lincoln-Lakeway area — whether it’s by car, bike, on foot or by bus.
What they learn will help them plan new development and possibly change streets and freeway access ramps to help commuters and local residents alike move faster over the next 20 years or more, according to reports on the project.
It could make commuting to work and running errands easier for those who live in the surrounding neighborhoods and allow city officials to seek grant money to pay for road work and other projects, said Chris Comeau, a transportation planner for the city of Bellingham.
“Ultimately, both short-term and long-term multimodal transportation system improvements will be identified and recommended, which will allow (Bellingham) Public Works to program local funding as well as seek state and federal grant funding for construction in future years,” Comeau told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Effects of COVID
Normally, city officials would have a series of public meetings to present their plans and hear what residents of the Samish, Sehome, Puget and York and neighborhoods — as well as other residents and commuters — think about the issue, Comeau said.
“This study began in March 2020, just as COVID-19 hit and stay-at-home orders were issued by Gov. (Jay) Inslee,” Comeau said.
“Unfortunately, this has meant no public meetings, but the multi-agency project team has issued press releases, conducted a community survey, presented at three neighborhood association meetings, and has now provided the interactive Engage Bellingham platform,” he said.
“Public input has been, and will continue to be, taken in at different stages throughout the course of the study, which is expected to conclude later in 2021,” he said.
Puget neighborhood resident Marc Costanza told The Herald in a Facebook post that he often walks or bikes to work instead of driving.
“Weather- and errand-dependent, I ride my bike to work,” Costanza said. “I live up above the old drive-in, so this is my neighborhood. I see the bus in use down below, so I know that is an option. Walking to work in an emergency is always an option too.”
Congested area
Some 580 people responded to a May 2020 survey about the area, according to a timeline of the “Lincoln-Lakeway Multimodal Transportation Study” published at the city of Bellingham website.
Results of the survey were published in an August report, and it showed that respondents were critical of traffic congestion, condition of the roadway, and lack of facilities for bicycle riders.
Between 24,400 and 26,500 cars drive Lakeway daily at the Lincoln Street intersection, according to a 2018 report by the consulting firm TranspoGroup.
Daily traffic is 13,700 cars on Lincoln Street from Lakeway south to where the road flows into Samish Way, according to the report.
“The city openly acknowledges that there is vehicle traffic congestion in the busiest places at the busiest times of day, as is to be expected in an urban area,” the August report said.
“There is not a financially feasible way to build out of it, trying to do so would be an irresponsible use of public taxpayer dollars, and would be counter-productive in achieving the city goals to promote safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders,” the report said. “This study will examine some options to improve vehicle traffic circulation, such as access to and from the northbound on- and off-ramps to Interstate 5, but if found to be feasible, they may be very expensive and unlikely as practical short-term solutions.”
Traffic collisions
Bellingham officials don’t have current information about traffic accidents in the area, said Amy Cloud, spokeswoman for the Public works Department.
But the intersection of Lakeway and Lincoln was No. 2 on the city’s list of most dangerous intersections, with 25 reported crashes in the 18 months from January 2016 to June 2017, according to a July 2018 Herald article.
One block west of Lincoln-Lakeway, the intersection of King and Lakeway was tied for No. 6 most dangerous with 14 reported collisions, the Herald said.
State Rep. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), an avid bicycle commuter and a professor of economics and energy policy at Western Washington University, told The Herald via social media that she doesn’t like biking through all that congestion.
“I avoid that area on my bike which is too bad because the pet store next to Whole Foods is (flame emoji),” Shewmake said.
According to the city’s 2014 bicycle master plan, there were 10 bicycle crashes on Lakeway in the study area from 2006 to 2010.
Bicycles, pedestrians
Some 45% of respondents to the May survey said that providing new space for bicyclists was “very important.”
But 47% of survey respondents said they didn’t want traffic lanes narrowed — which likely would be required to provide bike lanes.
There are no bike lanes on that stretch of Lakeway near Lincoln, but the city recently installed crosswalks with flashing signal lights on Lincoln Street south of Lakeway and on Lakeway west of I-5, Cloud said.
Samantha Hamstreet told The Herald in a Facebook post that she frequently travels through the Lincoln-Lakeway intersection.
“Before the pandemic I used to walk and bus that area almost every day, either to run errands, get the kids to and from school, or sometimes just to have a walk,” Hamstreet said.
“I would give it an 8 out of 10 for being pedestrian-friendly,” she said. “I was able to make a trip to downtown from Old Woburn during the snow last weekend relying entirely on walking and a couple of very short stretches of busing.”
Kirsten Wert, a frequent bicycle commuter who is program manager for Smart Trips, said she understands why some people opt to drive through that section of town, rather than using alternative transportation.
“This is a challenging area for the hardiest of cyclists,” Wert told The Herald in an email.
She suggested a series of bike-pedestrian tunnels to allow easy access through the congested commercial zone, but recognizes that it is a “pie-in-the sky” solution.
City officials know that any effort to create easier bike routes through the area will be expensive.
“Finding a financially feasible solution to this complex transportation problem will involve a careful balancing effort to try and provide safe physical space for pedestrians and bicyclists while not creating untenable safety problems for vehicles,” the August report said.
“In other words, in places where there are currently no bicycle facilities, but multiple lanes for automobiles, then consideration must be given to how to rebalance this limited physical space. Compromises may need to be made, such as narrower vehicle lane widths, sidewalk space shared between pedestrians and bicyclists, or removal of vehicle travel lanes in favor of dedicated bicycle lanes. The width of the roadway will not change, but the allocation of roadway space must change,” the report said.
Bus service
If there was one area of unanimous praise in the May survey, it was regarding bus service.
Some eight Whatcom Transportation Authority bus routes use the Lincoln-Lakeway area, and it’s one of WTA’s Go-Lines for frequent service, said Tim Wilder, WTA Planning director.
“The Lakeway corridor is one of WTA’s busiest service areas,” Wilder told The Herald in an email.
Routes serving Lincoln Street are also very busy when WWU is in session, and we pick up many students from the WWU park-n-ride on their way to campus,” he said.
“WTA buses on Lakeway experience schedule delays due to the high level of congestion on the corridor, particularly during the afternoon peak rush hour. Thus, as a partner in the project, we are working to help identify improvements that will improve transit speed and reliability. Unreliable buses cause essential workers and others to be late for work or appointments, and decrease the attractiveness of transit as a travel option,” he said.
Possible solutions
“Personally, I think the city is on the right track, tackling a real problem area in a way that makes it work for more people and makes it safer, “ said Hayes, the Sehome association president.
Among his dreams for the area is a public plaza, and he suggested a site that is currently a ball field south of Arne Hanna aquatic center.
“I have one big thing I think the city is missing between all of these different developments that are planned for that area. Something to bring them and people together,” he said.
Meanwhile, city officials continue to solicit public input, and are hoping to present their findings in an open house or similar public forum to share information and collect ideas once the pandemic has eased.
This story was originally published February 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
